


And Secresy The Human Dress

by girlingoldboots



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Disturbing Themes, Dreams and Nightmares, Implied Beastiality, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-25
Updated: 2014-03-25
Packaged: 2018-01-17 01:02:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1368175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlingoldboots/pseuds/girlingoldboots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Secresy The Human Dress

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ishie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishie/gifts).



> Written for ishie as part of the Hannibal Exchange on Dreamwidth. Title come from a line in the William Blake poem: _Songs Of innocence_ , ('The Divine Image')
> 
> A/N: Nothing to note, just that it was hard to pick from such a good assortment of prompts. No real warnings except for possible disturbing imagery and implied bestiality. Takes place somewhere mid season one.
> 
> The prompt was : Will's dreams about the Raven!stag vs Bronze!stag vs Hannibal!Wendigo/his brain trying to tell him he's already connected the dots.
> 
>  
> 
> If you like what you've read, and are so inclined, the tip jar is open:  
> [Buy Me a Coffee](https://ko-fi.com/A4012NV1)

In a strange, almost sad way Will had gotten used to the stag. It was always there in the background, never-mind if he acknowledged or not. Sometimes it was just out of sight, and sometimes it was so close that he could touch the textures of the fur and he could feel the nose just barely on the back of his neck. The stag's breath was never that of a warm, living animal, but frosted cold as ice. Often in the throes of a nightmare he would be brave enough to actually touch the creature and bury his face in the ink-coloured feathers around the beast's neck.

He learned log ago to take small comforts where he could.

His higher brain wondered why the stag should have feathers anyway, but he ignored it. It was a dream and dreams rarely made any sort of sense in the waking hours, did they?

Later in Lecter's office, he let the doctor's words wash over him as his eyes and brain became transfixed by the carpet. Gray-blue carpet with random, darker blue lines. Lines that appeared to be singular antlers. They paled in comparison to the eight points of the stag in his dream, but the distraction was welcome. The (useless) session over, he said his good-byes to the doctor and his eyes fell on the heavy statue on a table.

"How long have you had that statue?" Will asked.

"Since I set up the office." Was the matter-of-fact reply. The tone was indulgent, and Will's brain turned that into a litany of failure in that he should have remembered it from before.

Now would have been the time to make a joke about his observational skills. Instead he just walked out of the office. Back to the dogs and his house, with nothing but the woods and wind to carry screams from his nightmares.

Later that night he dreamed of the Ravenstag. It was fighting another stag, their horns locked and he could feel the heaviness of both creatures and they hit the ground. The other stag was bronze coloured, He could see deep grooves in the flesh, metal peeled away in a mockery of skin. He implored them silently to stop, the creatures parted ways. He thought he felt a long, bony hand touch him on the shoulder, but he didn't dare look.

He woke up and turned over, even though he knew sleep would be elusive for the next few nights.

Days of teaching, night of dreams where both stags fought. He wondered if the were fighting over him, then admonished the thought. Just a nightmare, one of many and not bothering to try and figure it out. Nightmares were more complicated in real life than in the dream world anyway.

Without thinking he bought a bag of deer feed along with the dog food. He didn't realise it until he got home, then felt too foolish to take the bag back.

"What did you do with the feed, Will?" Hannibal had asked, curious.

"Dumped it out into the woods." Will admitted. "At least some creature out there will eat it."

"That was considerate of you."

"Oh yeah, real considerate to buy food for animals who don't exist anywhere but in my dreams."

"But they are real to you." was the reply.

At the end of the session the doctor pressed the bronze stag into Will's hands. "Keep it until you no longer need it." Will looked at it not knowing what to say. He took it with him anyway. It would have been rude not to.

More dreams of the stags and next morning Lecter brought him breakfast. It smelled heavenly, Will pushed the food around his plate aimlessly.

"No appetite this morning?" The doctor asked. "You need your strength for the day."

Will's answer never came due to an ill-timed call from Jack, and he conveniently forgot the conversation.

Another murder, but his skills weren't needed. While talking to Jack he saw a slender, dark figure looming behind the other man. It looked human but not. He counted ten points on the antlers and noted that it looked hungry. He wanted to go home.

While throwing himself into teaching his classes, he read up on any mythology he could find involving stags. Some of the legends were contradictory, and very few ended well.

Sleep finally came. The stags came back. This time they were not fighting. In the morning woke up drenched in sweat and with an erection due to some of the images from his dream. He returned the bronze stag to Lecter and didn't give a reason why.

The other creature lurked in his waking times. He could ignore it, on the most part. He knew the presence when it loomed behind him, he wondered why no one else could see it. _"Oh, that's right, it's because I'm crazy."_ his higher brain function lectured him. He felt himself being held from behind even though there was nothing there. Long fingers (or were they claws?) caressed him and he ignored the bone-thin cold of the unseen animal. It vanished as soon as it appeared.

When walking the dogs he imagined that he could see the shadowed figure in the woods. He brain made a connection between the...thing and his visits to Lecter, and he cancelled three follow-up appointments. Instead it just brought the doctor to his house, laden with a thermos of strong tea and Tupperware containers filled with decadent scents. It made the admonishment worth it.

"Maybe you should simply ask what it wants, the next time you dream?" The doctor asked, with a small smile that disturbed Will. He said nothing as the doctor showed himself out.

Later that night, as he watched the dogs go through the pack night-time ritual, he felt foolish and asked silently what the creatures wanted with him. Sleep was a long time coming.

When sleep did come, it was in fits and starts. He only realised he was dreaming when the creature loomed over him, once again caressing his cheek. Will had a brief, delusional thought that the creature would look good in a flower crown. Then dismissed the thought as quickly as it came.

The creature caressed and kissed. Will ran his hands over the visible rib-cage and tried to see if the creature had a heart-beat.

"Are you hungry?" He asked it.

No answer.

"You should eat." He said.

No answer, save for it suddenly opening up it's mouth and begins to devour Will whole.

Upon wakening his scream echoed through the house, and the name _Hannibal_ on his lips. That was when he knew the monster was real.


End file.
